Feed mechanism for quill-treating machines.



PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

E. K. WARREN. FEED MECHANISM FOR QUILL TREATING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATBNTED JAN. 80, 1906.

E. K. WARREN. FEED MECHANISM FOR. QUILL TREATING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 \Hlil IIHH IN I! llllllllllllllll l lfl il Specification of Letters Patent.

EDWARD K. WARREN, OF TI-IREEOAKS, MICHIGAN.

FEED MECHANISM FOR QUlLL-TREATING MACHINES.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

Application filed May 18, 1905. Serial No. 260,976.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD K. WARREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Threeoaks, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for Quill-Treating Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines of that class which are employed in treating quills which are to be manufactured into what is commercially known as featherbone, a substance designed to fill the oiiice of flexible resilient stays in connection with various classes of dress goods. In the treatment of such quills the quill is first split and then thoroughly stripped of its contained pith,

after which the split sections of the quill thus cleaned are fiberedthat is, further split longitudinally into a number of thin narrow slivers or fibers lying side by side, with the end portions of successive bunches of fibers overlapped and intermixed, so as to create a continuous line of substantially uniform caliberto which is applied a winding or covering of other material to mechanically bind the fibers together. Thereafter the strip thus created is specially treated to give it a uniformity of structure and strength while preserving the natural elastic quality or resilieney of the original material.

My present invention relates to a new and improved mechanism for effecting the initial operation upon the quills, consisting in the longitudinal splitting of said quills into two or more sections. For this purpose a machine has been devised comprising, among other features, a holder for supporting a vertical stack of quills laid horizontally one upon another, with a pair of feed-disks operating in the horizontal plane of the lowermost quill and serving to withdraw the latter from beneath the stack and force it end foremost upon a stationary splitting-knife. Such thereof downwardly into the nip of the feeddisks.

My invention is illustrated in the acc0mpanying drawings, in which I have also disclosed so much of a quill-treating machine associated with said feed mechanism as ren ders the purpose and mode of operation of the latter entirely clear, although it is to be understood that myimprovements are by no means limited in their application to the particular quill-treating machine selected for the purpose of such illustration.

Referring to said drawmgs, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a quill-treating machine, and Fig. 2 is a vertical end elevational view of the quill-feeding mechanism.

I will first briefly describe the principal parts of the quill-treating machine in asso ciation with which I have chosen to illustrate my improvements and will then more particularly describe the improved quill feeding mechanism itself.

Referring to Fig. 1, 3 designates a horizontal bed-plate supporting the principal operating parts of the machine. These comprehend, generally described, a holder 4 for the quills, a pair of feed-disks 5 and 6, withdrawing the quills one at a time from said holder, a pair of feed-rolls 7 and 8, receiving the quill from the feed-disks 5 and 6 and forcing the same upon the edge of a stationary splittingknife 9, auxiliary feed-rolls 10 and 11, directing the split sections upon a pair of rotary p ith-cutters 12 and 13, a tubular guide 14, a pair of forwarding feed-rolls 15 and 16 for the split sections having the longer path of travel, and another pair of convergent tubular guides 17 and 18, serving to direct the cleaned sections between another pair of feed-rolls 19 and 20, which pass said sections on through a single tubular guide 21 into a fibering mechanism, (indicated at 22,) it being understood, of course, that the machine is equipped with suitably timed mechanisms serving to impart the proper movements to the various mechanisms above mentioned.

23 and 24 are conduits for exhaust-air currents, which open into the space closely adj acent to the cutters 12 and 13 and serve to draw oil the excised particles of pith.

Referring now more particularly to the initial-feed mechanism, whereby the quills are advanced upon the splitting-knife, 25 designates a horizontal lateral extension of the bed-plate 3, from which rise at longitudinally-separated points two pairs of inner and outer guide-rods 26 and 27, respectively, the two rods of each pair being spaced sulliciently to receive between them a series of superposed stripped quills 28. lnwardly of the guides 26 there rises from the bed-plate a post 29, which has a deep longitudinal groove 30 on that side adjacent to the guides 26, the lower end of which groove is continued through the post in the form of a feed-slot 31 of suflicient size to permit the passage therethrough of one quill at a time, (the lowermost of the stack.) The post 29 is surmounted by a guide-hopper 32, having outwardlyflaring walls adapted to readily receive and guide into the vertical groove 30 of the post the advance or blunt ends of the quills. It will thus be seen that the stack of quills is supported and guided at its inner end by the grooved post 29 and intermediate its length by the inner and outer guide-posts 26 and 2-7. For the purpose of effecting the gradual descent of the individual quills of the stack as fast as each lowermost quill is withdrawn means are employed for maintaining a constant downward pressure on the stack of quills, the means herein shown for this purpose consisting of a bar 33, disposed behind the stack and having pivoted to the ends thereof fingers 34 and to overlie the uppermost quill crosswise thereof, to which bar is secured a depending rod 35, passing through and guided in the bed-plate extension 25 and terminating in a weight 36. In. order to make the bar 33 readily retractable past a fresh stack of quills, the fingers 34 are normally spring-pressed downwardly or inwardly toward the vertical plane of the bar 33 by springs 37, their movement in the opposite direction under the action of the weight resisted by the quills being limited by stop-pins 38. This construction enables a fresh stack of quills to be loaded into the quill-holder as fast as the latter is exhausted and the quilldepressing bar to be subsequently raised and engaged with the uppermost quill, the rounded upper edges of the finger 14 riding idly against the inner sides of the quills during such upward movement.

Referring next to the mechanism for feeding forward into the machine the successive quills of the stack as fast as each assumes the lowermost position, the principal agents for accomplishing this result are the feed-disks 5 and 6, constructed, equipped, and disposed as follows: These disks are mounted side by side in the same horizontal plane flat on the bed-plate 3 on the upper ends of shafts 39 and 40, journaled in said bed-plate, said shafts carrying on their lower ends spur-gears 41 and 42, whereby the disks are simultaneously and positively revolved through any suitable train of mechanism (not shown) leading from the source of power. These disks are provided with concave or fluted peripheries 5 and 6 and each has an upper portion of said fluted periphery cut away to a certain extent throughout a portion of its circumference inwardly of the maximum diameter, as indicated by lines 5 and 6 in Fig. l, the purpose of this latter being to provide between the disks a space for the reception of the quill as it is forced between the disks by the mechanism next to be described and constituting the gist of my present improvements. Securely clamped on a short annular stud 43, surrounding the upper end of the shaft 39 of the feed-disk 5, is a substantially semidisk-shaped plate 44, rigidly secured in position, as by means of a short clampingbolt 45 and washer 46. This plate throughout its major portion lies above and parallel with the upper surface of the feed-disk, being separated. therefrom by a space equal to the average thickness of a quill, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. At its rear end or heel the plate obliquely descends on a substantiallystraight slant or incline, as indicated at 47, to the upper surface of the feed-disk, being preferably secured to the latter behind said inclined portion, as by a screw 48, in order to insure against a relative turning movement between the plate and disk. It will also be observed that this plate is so disposed as to overlie throughout the major portion of its outer edge the cut-away portion of the fluted periphery of the feed-disk, the peripheral margin of the plate projecting flush with the maximum periphery of the lower edge of the disk.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows Assuming that the hold er is loaded with a stack of quills, as shown in Fig. 2, and that the feed-disks 5 and 6 are rotating in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, as the forward end of the plate 44, carried by the disk 5, reaches the vertical plane of the quills it forces an entrance between the lowermost quill of the stack and the next quill di rectly above it. As the disks continue to revolve the cut-away portions 5 and 6 come opposite each other, creating a space between the peripheries of the disks, into which the lowermost quill may descend. Then the disks have revolved to a point where the inclined or cam-like portion 47 of the plate engages the quill, the latter is quickly forced IIO downwardly into position between the peripheries, while the rear portions of the relatively flattened or cut-away parts of the peripheries are traveling through the vertical plane of the quills. As soon as the quill has thus been fairly forced between the disks the registering points of the peripheries marking the termination of the flattened or cut-away portions contact the opposite sides of the quill, taking a firm hold on the latter and advancing it through the guideway 31 and the feed and guide rolls 7 and 8 upon the point of the knife 9. The disks 5 and 6, having a circumferential length approximately equal to the average length of the quills, during the passage 01 approximately the rear half of each quill through. the feed-disks, the quilldepressing plate l i engages the next quill and in the manner already described forces it downwardly into the nip of the disks substantially simultaneously with the passage of the tail of the preceding quill through said disks, thus avoiding any interval or gap between successive quills.

It will thus be seen that the device of my invention provides for the positive feed of the quills into the nip oi" the feed-disks at regular intervals and without depending upon. the effect of the weighted quill-depressing mech anism to secure this result. While the latter is su'l'licient for this purpose in many instances, yet it does not secure the regularity of feed nor insure the reliability of feed that is attained by the use of my improvement.

It will be seen that during substantially one-half the revolution of the 'ieeddisks while the forward half of each quill is passing through said disks the peripheries of the disks are so close together as to prevent the entrance of the next quill between them, while so soon as the cut-away or flattened portions begin to register the plate 44. comes into action, taking the weight of all except the lowermost quill and by means oi its cam portion 4C7 ell'ecting the positive depression. of said lowermost quill into the nip oi. the :leed-disks at the proper time.

It will be understood that the described mechanism for effecting these results might take other more or less inodiiied forms Without differing inprinciple of operation or re sults attained from the particular mechanism herein shown, and it will also beunderstood that the described improvements are applicable to machines employing mechanism f or feeding quills and similar articles in succession into any kind of machine or apparatus for operating in any way upon said quills or other articles. Hence the inven tion is not limited either to the particular construction nor to the particular application of the mechanism. shown and described.

I claim- 1. In a machine for feeding quills and the like, the combination with a quill-holder, and a pair of leed-disks adapted to engage and advance between them said quills successively, of means serving to engage the quills successively and force them in proper succession into the nip of the feed-disks, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for feeding quills and the like, the combination with a quill-holder, and a pair of teed-disks, of means carried by one of said disks adapted to engage the nearest quill at each rotation of the disks and force it into the nip oi the latter, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for feeding quills and the like, the combination with a holder adapted to support a stack of superposed quills, and a pair of feed-disks operating in a plane transverse to the plane of the stack, 01' means car ried byone of said disks adapted to engage the nearest quill at each rotation. of the disks, and force it to a position between said disks, substantially as described.

4:. In a machine for feeding quills and the like, the combination with a holder adapted to support a stack of superposed quills, and a pair of feed-disks operating in. a horizontal plane at the lower end of the stack, of means carried by one o'l said disks adapted to engage the quills as each occupies the lowermost position of the stack and depress it to a position between said disks, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for feeding quills and the like, the combination with a holder adapted to support a stack of superposed quills, and a pair of feed-disks operating in a plane transverse to the plane of the stack, of a camplate carried by one of said disks adapted to engage said quills successively and force the latter between the disks, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for feeding quills and the like, the combination with a holder adapted to support a stack of superposed quills, and a pair oi i eed-disks operating in a horizontal plane at the lower end of the stack, of a camplate carried by one of said disks adapted to engage each quill as it occupies the lowermost position of the stack and depress it to a position between said disks, substantially as described.

EDWARD K. WARREN.

Witnesses:

JENNIE L. TnoMs, CnAnLns K. l/VARREN. 

